Left Behind
by Angel the Neko
Summary: Out on a date one day, America and England stumble across a museum exhibit featuring an old abandoned pirate ship. Naturally excited, America goes to see- yet he has no idea what happened aboard the ship many years ago, and why it causes England so much pain... (USUK)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! I'm Angel the Neko and this fanfiction is my Christmas gift to those of you reading, as well as a gift to those who have read my other stories and have stayed with me for quite a long time. Whether you're new or you're one of the few avid readers of mine, know that I love you all! So please keep that in mind when you reach the end. Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

**That's enough of me and my ranting, although I'd like to take the time to point out and thank Naruko Uzu. This mini holiday fanfic was based on an RP I did with her a few months back.**

* * *

A misty fog erupts from the mouth of the blond haired nation, like billowing smoke from a chimney- pouring upwards into the sky, twisting, swirling and swerving until it disappears in an almost melancholic fashion. But nothing was melancholy about this day so far. How could it be? The United States of America was happy. He always was when his fingers were intertwined in the comforting grip of his boyfriend's smooth, slender fingers.

It was a frosty December morning, but Alfred didn't care. The chilly winter air was stabbing and piercing into his delicate skin but still, Alfred didn't care. He was with Arthur- the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland- and that was enough to fill his whole body with loving fiery warmth. As long as Arthur was with him, he could face any weather- no matter how cruel, cold or challenging.

The two were on a date together, but their destination was nowhere in particular. They were just walking along the streets of London hand in hand, Alfred occasionally stopping to point out something from a shop window, much to the amusement of Arthur who had to smile at Alfred's child-like happiness.

So there they were, strolling along casually at a relaxed and leisurely pace when suddenly Alfred spotted what was quite possibly the most interesting thing yet.

"Hey Arthur check this out!" Alfred pointed, excitedly bobbing up and down on the spot.

"Hm?" Arthur looked up to what the man was pointing at, frowning slightly.

"It says here that they found some cool ship at the bottom of the sea!" Alfred gasped as he read the sign stationed in front of the museum. "Arthur can we go? Can we go? Pleeeeeease?"

Arthur chuckled happily, giving the younger nation a smile of approval. It almost reminded him of the good old days when Alfred was this energetic. The days when Alfred was merely a small peppy child with the heart of gold and the strength of a raging bull (though possibly even stronger than that because Arthur had quite often seen him overpower raging bulls on several occasions as a child).

But back to the present day. It was surprising how often Alfred acted like a cute child and the nostalgia almost brought tears to England's eyes. But the past was past and this was the present. Arthur would never swap the modern day Alfred for the endearing sweet child that he used to be. Although he had often contemplated it and he had to admit that he _would _like that Alfred back too, that would mean changing the Alfred that he had now.

And deep down, he knew that there was no way he could ever get rid of this Alfred.

"Well alright then." He chuckled. "If you insist."

Knowing that he had been given the green light, Alfred dragged Arthur into the large museum. It wasn't long before Alfred found what he had been seeking: there in the centre of a very large room lay the remains of an old abandoned pirate ship, spread out onto a platform and surrounded by barriers of red velvet rope.

Alfred was literally bursting with excitement, bouncing up and down to get good looks at the remains and reading practically every sign that he saw. According to what he had read, the ship had supposedly been hit by cannon fire and was left to sink to the bottom of the ocean. It seemed that there were no survivors found to have escaped, yet there were no skeletons of the former crew on board.

But despite the fact that Alfred was face to face with a possible ghost ship, he still looked upon it as fondly as a child with a new Christmas toy. There was something about this ship that didn't scare him- something about it that told him that, even if this was deep down, it was perfectly safe.

"Wow Arthur this ship is so cool!" He beamed, no longer holding onto his boyfriend's hand.

After the comment about the ship, Alfred expected Arthur to agree or maybe sigh in a bored way. But after none of these followed, he looked back at the older nation with a frown.

"Arthur?" He asked.

Arthur was not filled with excitement like Alfred was, nor was he admiring the ship with an impressed smile. He was staring, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief. Not only that but he was trembling. Trembling as if his eyes couldn't fathom the very horror of the sight that lay broken up and beaten before him.

"Arthur, you okay?" Alfred frowned.

"...Alfred, could we please just leave now?" Arthur whispered.

"What? No way dude!" Alfred whined. "I still haven't had the chance to-"

"NOW ALFRED!"

The sudden outburst was unexpected and Alfred flinched back in fear. He wasn't scared for long though and, obeying Arthur's command, he promptly left the museum with Arthur storming out at his side.

"Sorry about that." Arthur sighed when they were finally out. "I just..."

"What gives Artie?" Alfred frowned. "You looked really pale. Like you'd seen a ghost."

After a few seconds of silence, Alfred paled just as Arthur did when he realised what Arthur's silence was trying to imply. Had he imagined the feeling of sensing that ship was safe? Was that why Arthur was so upset?

"That... That ship isn't haunted is it?" Alfred squeaked.

"No it isn't haunted but..." Arthur sighed. "I... That used to be my ship..."

"Really?" Alfred asked, staring with wide eyes at Arthur- seeing him in a new light. "_You_ were a pirate?"

"Yes, and I happen to have some... Memories attached to that ship." Arthur whispered.

Alfred was really interested now. He was leaning in and staring- pushing Arthur to continue with his little story. It was really intriguing to Alfred, as was anything else related to Arthur- he simply wanted to know everything about his lover, even the darkest chapters of his life.

"One of my men... Died on that ship." Arthur muttered- his voice quiet and just barely heard by Alfred. "I couldn't save him... I was forced to leave him."

"Oh..." Alfred bit his lip. "I understand. I'm sorry."

"That's quite alright Alfred." Arthur smiled. "It's... It's all in the past now. Why don't we go get something to eat?"

Alfred nodded and the subject was dropped. In fact, the rest of the day went by without another mention of the ship until...

* * *

_**That night**_

* * *

Now most nights usually went by without much happening (except for the occasional activity involving vital regions) but that night was different. Arthur kept rolling about and turning as he slept- a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Alfred. In fact Alfred was worried about Arthur. He hated to see Arthur fret- it must have been something to do with that ship.

"N-no..." Arthur moaned. "Don't..."

Alfred frowned and looked over at Arthur as he shifted uncomfortably. Talking in his sleep? That was new. He'd seen Arthur mutter to himself and talk to thin air, but never in his sleep.

"I won't... I won't leave you!" Arthur whined.

"Won't leave who?" Alfred whispered back.

"No!" Arthur yelped. "Too... Late..."

"England, wake up!" Alfred yelled.

Arthur jolted up in bed and Alfred switched the light on.

"Wha...?" Arthur whispered.

"England, are you okay?" Alfred questioned, placing a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"I'm fine." Arthur muttered. "Why do you ask?"

"You were having a nightmare..."

"How did you know that?"

"You were mumbling in your sleep. Plus I can see you sweating." Alfred explained. "You were saying 'I won't leave you' and 'too late'- stuff like that."

Arthur looked pale. He opened his mouth to say something in retort, but he could find nothing to say. After a few seconds of thought, he made a small strangled noise and coughed.

"...Water..." Arthur whispered. "I need water. I'll be back in a minute."

Then Arthur left the room quickly. Still worried, Alfred got up out of bed and followed him.

He didn't get far though, for the moment he stepped out of the room, two floating creatures appeared in front of him. One seemed to be a fairy with glittering wings and a worried look upon her face. The other was a pale green bunny with wings attached- also with the same worried expression.

"Should we really be doing this Tink?" Whispered the mint-coloured bunny.

"Positive. He's the only one that can help." The fairy whispered back.

"What are you guys talking about?" Alfred asked curiously.

The two flinched back but did not look scared. They looked more surprised than anything.

"Oh, he can see us." The bunny smiled.

"Who are you guys?" Alfred frowned before he lit up with excitement. "Wait a second! You're Arthur's magical friends!"

"Yes we are!" Tinkerbell beamed- seemingly excited that Alfred had recognised them.

"Wow... So he isn't crazy..." Alfred laughed. "So anyway, what are you doing here? And how come I can see you?"

Tinkerbell and Flying Mint Bunny's faces suddenly went back to very stern. They looked very worried and yet the look of uncertainty was obvious in their faces.

"Well... We've come here to carry out a very important mission." Tinkerbell explained.

"Okay..." Alfred nodded slowly. "But that still doesn't explain everything."

"We need your help America." Flying Mint Bunny explained further, starting to plead. "Please, will you help us?"

"You still haven't explained what you're intending to do." Alfred scowled angrily.

"It involves England." Tinkerbell continued. "We need your help to-"

"What!" America snapped. "England's in trouble? Well hurry up then! We don't have the time to be wasting here! If he's in trouble, I've gotta be his hero!"

"That's the spirit!" Tinkerbell giggled. "So here we go!"

The small fairy waved her magic wand with a smile, covering Alfred in specks of sparkly dust as Flying Mint Bunny perched on his shoulder. Alfred coughed a few times and before he knew it, England's house simply disappeared around him and faded into something completely new.

* * *

Alfred blinked in a state of confusion and glanced at the scene around him. From what he could gather, he was in a port. People were rushing by on the bustling streets. They were too busy and preoccupied to notice that a man had suddenly appeared amidst the crowd- along with two flying companions perched on his shoulders.

"What the-?" Alfred began. "Where am I?"

He ran his fingers over his face just to make sure that he could still feel and that he was definitely not dreaming. However, in doing so he made a rather alarming discovery.

"Where's Texas gone?" He gasped, starting to panic.

"You can still see can't you?" Flying Mint Bunny questioned.

Now that the minty rabbit had mentioned it, he realised that yes he _could _see. This was a rather unusual and new development. How on Earth could he see without Texas?

"Well yeah..." Alfred muttered sheepishly before snapping back into focus. "But that's not really the point! What happened to Texas? Is it okay? It hasn't disappeared has it?"

"America, calm down!" Tinkerbell commanded in a low hiss. "Texas is fine. Please don't make a scene, no-one here can see us. Well, except you and one other person."

"One other person?" Alfred frowned. "Who is it?"

"Never mind that now! To the pub straight ahead!" Flying Mint Bunny commanded. "When inside, head for the back door and the password is 'Rule Britannia!'"

"Huh? What do you-?" Alfred began.

"Say you're looking for the Captain." Tinkerbell interrupted. "And once you're in, do whatever it takes to join the Captain's ship! Remember why you're doing this America!"

That was right. He was doing this for Arthur. It was all for the sake of Arthur's safety and happiness. Even if he still had no idea why all of this concerned Arthur and he had no clue as to where he was, following the orders of two bizarre magical creatures was his best bet when it came to getting home and completing his little mission.

So following the oddly coloured bunny's orders, he headed straight for the building in front of him and once inside, he found what he saw were both strangely fascinating and maybe even the tiniest bit scary...

Then again, it was a 'pub'. So as the title naturally suggested, there were drunken men inside- many of them singing songs. A lot of them were playing card games in their drunken stupor and Alfred spotted some looking angry and holding others at knife point. A wide variety of strange things were going on in this crazy drinking establishment, but there was one common thing that linked these odd men (and occasionally a few women).

They were all pirates.

"You two!" Alfred hissed quietly- though not in anger or fear, as Alfred looked rather in awe of the scene. "Did you guys bring me back in time or something?"

"Maybe..." Tinkerbell fidgeted nervously.

"Amazing!" America gasped. "I mean these guys are _actual _pirates! That's pretty cool if you ask me!"

"Very." Flying Mint Bunny grinned. "Now get into that back room! We're gonna hide for now, so just remember what we said!"

And with that, Flying Mint Bunny and Tinkerbell dived straight behind America, burrowing in underneath the fuzzy collar of his favoured bomber jacket.

He stepped forward, watching where he walked as he advanced through the mad house. These men were pirates after all, not the most trustworthy of men. However, as he continued to push on through, one question still lingered within his brain:

What was he doing here?

* * *

Getting past the guard at the back of the room wasn't too hard. After all, America only needed to say the password that the magical creatures had given him and (admittedly with a look at America as if he were absolutely crazy) he was allowed in.

The back door had led to a single room, much darker than the one that America had entered from. This one was free of drunken men and women and it was very dimly illuminated. The only light source was a small white candle on the desk that was positioned in the middle of the room and thanks to its light, America was able to see two legs crossed over each other on the desk and leading back to a dark figure sat down upon a chair.

America instantly assumed that this man was the captain. After all, his hat was flamboyant (and pulled down low over his eyes), his crimson red coat was impressive and the way he sat so casually with his legs up on the desk gave America the idea that this was only because this man had the authority to do so. This man probably did what he wanted, when he wanted- no questions asked. If America ever tried sitting like that at home, his boyfriend would likely yell at him.

"Hey." America grinned, figuring this was the best way to start off.

"Who goes thar'?" The captain grunted.

"Alfred F. Jones, at your service." America bowed in an almost jokey manner. He may have been known as one of the stupidest nations (or at least that's what they thought) but he wasn't stupid enough to reveal his true country name. Especially when he was in the past and not even sure that he had been discovered yet. "I'd like to join this pirate crew good sir."

"And why might that be, ye landlubber?" The captain growled.

His voice was rough, yet oddly familiar. _That isn't... No it can't be... Can it? There's no way! It's just gotta be coincidence._

"Well because I have what it takes!" America nodded as he placed his hands proudly on his hips.

Then it happened. The captain removed his legs from the table and he leaned in. His elbow rested on the table and his arm reached up, allowing him to place his chin securely in his palm. The captain's face was dimly lit by the faint orange glow of the candle flame, his face darkening and brightening again as the candle fire flickered.

"Is that so?" He questioned.

And America gasped. His suspicions had indeed been confirmed. He was face to face with the last person he'd expected to see as pirate captain.

"England?"

* * *

**Aaand that's the end of the first chapter. Hopefully if all goes according to plan, this fic should take about three chapters and I should have one out next week and then one on New Year's Eve- I hope.**

**Why has America been transported back in time? Why did Flying Mint Bunny and Tinkerbell steal his Texas? And why does America need to join England's ship? Find out in the next chapter! And don't forget to review!**

**Sayounara minna-san!**

**~Neko**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here we are again! Now we're onto the second chapter of Left Behind- which means there's only one chapter left after this one! I hope you enjoy this chapter because I put a LOT of work into it. This story may have been an RP to begin with which makes things easier but this story is told mainly from America's point of view- and I wasn't the one playing America in this. Credit for America goes to Naruko Uzu (I played England in this).**

**So I had to think very hard about America's thought processes. To avoid confusion for this, the past England will be referred to as Arthur, the present England will just be England and until America returns to the future, he will be referred to as Alfred.**

**Warning: Contains Arthur (you'll see why I warned you later)**

* * *

At first, Alfred hadn't thought it possible. But now as he stared at the golden blond hair that poked out from underneath his large red hat down to the thick black eyebrows furrowed in confusion, he realised that he really was face to face with a young pirate England.

"How do ye know me real name?" He glared suspiciously.

"Well I found you, didn't I?" Alfred laughed, making the excuse up on the spot.

"Hmph. No landlubber be meant t' know me real name..." The pirate captain muttered. "Only me crew should know."

"Well I know." Alfred muttered. "So let's just leave it at that, 'kay?"

Arthur sceptically looked Alfred up and down a few times, a suspicious frown plaguing his face. After he was satisfied, he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, balancing on the chair hinges and allowing his face to soften only slightly- as he was still suspicious of the strange man.

"Hmph." He grunted. "An' why do ye want to join me crew?"

"Weeell..." Alfred began, prolonging the word by dragging out the sounds. He needed something- anything to get him in. "I...-" And then it hit him. "-Really admire you England."

Alfred saw his furry eyebrows raise as he heard the mentioning of his real name, so Alfred corrected himself by saying 'Captain Kirkland' which, admittedly, was the first name he could think of- so it was basically made on the spot. This seemed to satisfy him however, and he gave Alfred a nod as the signal to continue.

"In fact... You're like my idol, sir Kirkland." Alfred pressed on, making everything up as he went along. "I'd like to learn everything I can from the master- and that would be you sir. Arthur Kirkland- scourge of the seven seas."

Arthur smirked, obviously quite pleased with himself and his reputation. He moved his hand to his chin and stood, stroking his chin carefully- as if in deep thought and he firmly placed his other hand on his hip proudly.

"Hmm..." Arthur hummed, biting his lip as if to further concentrate his thinking. Alfred clenched his hands tight, waiting patiently for the response. Then after a few short moments, Arthur's response came while Alfred held his breath hopefully. "Well... Okay. I'll allow it, I'm making an exception for you- rookie."

"Really?" Alfred gasped, actually getting excited and worked up over joining England's old pirate crew.

"Yes really." Arthur huffed. "Now run along. We're settin' sail in a little while and you'd best be ready when we do- or I'll leave ya behind."

"Got it Captain sir!" Alfred saluted, proceeding to leave the room.

"Oh and Jones..." Arthur muttered causing America to stop in his tracks. "When we've set sail, just England is fine by me."

"Aye sir!" Alfred grinned.

Then Alfred ran, almost skipping, out of the room- failing to see the small smile on Arthur's face as he left.

"Huh... Alfred F. Jones..." He smiled.

Pulling his hat down a little lower, he licked his lips in an almost seductive sort of way as he narrowed his eyes and lowered his cautious brows.

"This should be interesting..." He muttered.

* * *

_**Later**_

* * *

After witnessing a rather exciting scene as the pirates all scrambled to get themselves all orderly and ready, the crew had set sail and it was all back to being boring again. Alfred was mopping the deck- a task that had proven to be very dull.

Flying Mint Bunny and Tinkerbell had not appeared since they set sail and even then they had only appeared to remind him to 'follow his instincts'- whatever that meant... All Alfred had to keep himself happy were his thoughts, which were proving to be more entertaining than he had first anticipated.

_Man I'm so bored... There aren't many pirates up on deck at the moment. They must all be downstairs. I suppose they're all busy with their own business. Boring! They're no fun at all... Now if they sung like in all the movies, that'd be amazing! I wonder if these guys sing...? Maybe if I start whistling out a tune, they'll come out and join in!_

Alfred took a quick look around to see if there were any pirates watching. There weren't, but Alfred still took it as an opportunity to quicken the pace of his cleaning slightly before beginning to whistle out a tune. At least it would help pass the time, even if he thought there were no pirates around to start singing along.

However, just because Alfred thought that there was no-one watching- it didn't mean that he was right. In fact, there _was _someone watching- and watching quite intently at that. Hidden behind the mast, Captain Kirkland observed the new boy from afar as he whistled while he worked.

Then after a few minutes, Arthur noticed something rather peculiar happening. It seemed that as Alfred had been whistling, a number of cute perky little dolphins had begun jumping alongside the ship. If that wasn't weird enough, it also seemed like these dolphins were almost jumping in time to the tune of Alfred's whistling- squeaking their little dolphin accompaniments.

So Arthur approached Alfred, hoping that the boy could shed some light on the peculiar creatures that he had somehow summoned.

"Oi you." Arthur grunted, placing a hand on Alfred's shoulder.

Alfred looked up and about. Obviously he had heard Arthur's grumpy voice and he had felt the firm gloved hand on his shoulder but he was acting as if there was nothing there- as if there was nobody around.

"Funny... I thought I heard something..." Alfred frowned.

"Ye did." Arthur muttered. "And that'd be the captain."

"I know that." Alfred sighed. "But still, manners cost nothing- right?"

It may have sounded silly, but the United States of America was not one to be addressed so lightly or in such a derogatory way. Honestly, he was beginning to sound a bit like England when he was demanding people to speak more politely.

"Fine." Arthur sighed. "Alfred F. Jones, I wish to speak with you. Happy?"

Alfred's heart skipped a beat. For a moment there, Arthur sounded just like the present day gentleman England- not some rough pirate captain. Now that he thought about it, the Arthur now sounded a lot harsher than his modern day counterpart- not at all like a stiff upper-lipped gentleman. How on Earth did Arthur ever make that transition from the ruthless thug that he seemed to be right now?

"That's better." Alfred smiled, quickly calming himself down from the shock he had experienced before. "Now what did you want captain?"

"Honestly, makin' the captain speak like some stuffy old gentleman..." Arthur sighed. "I should punish you fer that one."

"Then why don't you, captain?" Alfred questioned almost teasingly. After all, if this Arthur really was so different, then Alfred wanted to see if there was another side to the doting parent that he had once been to Alfred.

"How did you get those dolphins to come to ye like that?" Arthur frowned, quickly getting the topic back on track- much to Alfred's disappointment. "That ain't normal, not somethin' ye see around these parts- or anywhere else fer that matter."

"I dunno." Alfred shrugged his shoulders. "They just kinda... Appeared I guess. You think _I_ have something to do with that?"

Arthur thought about this for a few seconds and Alfred tightened his grip on the mop (though not too hard that it might break- since he did technically have the power to do that). As the personification of America, Alfred had this odd ability to get on well with animals- as if he were one of them. A lot of nations had weird little powers like that. Alfred just prayed inwardly that Arthur wouldn't realise this and get suspicious- eventually leading to the discovery that Alfred was really a nation.

Though for some reason, Arthur didn't seem too bothered with this and he didn't figure anything out like Alfred had imagined he would. Instead he began glancing up and down at Alfred, taking everything in from his cute gravity-defying hair flick Nantucket right down to his shiny black shoes.

"Where d'you come from Alfred?" Arthur asked inquisitively.

"Oh uh... Nowhere special really." Alfred mumbled. He was beginning to panic now- realising that Arthur might be on to him. So he had to lie. "Actually I drift around quite a lot. That's what I've been doing for the past few years really. Though now that I'm on this ship I think my drifting days are over, yep that's no more drifting for me. From now on it's smooth sailing- quite literally. Ha... Ha..."

The nervous laugh at the end of his little speech was a feeble attempt to get Arthur to laugh with him and so hopefully he wouldn't dwell too much on the huge lie that Alfred had just told. Arthur simply tilted his head to the side and leaned in close until his mouth was just a few short centimetres from Alfred's ear.

"You talk too much." Arthur whispered.

"Ha ha... Well that's-"

But Alfred was interrupted when he tried to finish his sentence because Arthur had yanked the American by the tie, pushed him back a bit to shock him and then pulled him back in- crushing their lips together roughly for an unexpected kiss. Alfred was surprised, but his shock then was nothing compared to when Arthur's snake-like tongue slipped its way into his mouth. This was nothing like kissing back at home in the modern day with the other England. This felt completely different, almost as if he was a completely different person.

Then their lips separated, still leaving Alfred in a state of pure shock. Arthur smirked as he licked his lips devilishly with a half-lidded stare that in any other situation Alfred would have found extremely attractive. However right now he was still shocked, yet Arthur's amusement still continued to grow as if he were getting pleasure from the look of shock on Alfred's face.

"Well rookie that was better than I thought it'd be." Arthur smirked as he re-adjusted his large pirate hat.

"First of all." Alfred began, gaining back his confidence as he wiped a stray strand of hair out of his face. "The name's Alfred F. Jones. Not rookie, or 'you'- it's Alfred F. Jones."

"I ain't gonna start full-naming you like that all the time if that's what ye want." Arthur frowned. "An' by the way, what's that 'F' in the middle stand for?"

"The F...?" Alfred faltered slightly. "Uh well... My uh... Brother. He's the one that named me so I don't really know what it stands for. Personally I like to think it stands for 'freedom' and plus the F in the middle of my name sounds cool right?"

"Quite." Arthur chuckled sarcastically. "Anyway freedom-boy, I don't know about you but that kiss was pretty good fer me."

"And another thing..." Alfred growled. "You just kissed me without warning! Why on Earth did you do that?"

"Cuz yer a damn fine lookin' lad. Simple as." Arthur grinned. "Don't tell me you didn't find it enjoyable."

Alfred thought about it for a moment. Did he enjoy it? He didn't really have much to compare it to. The best comparison he had was... Well... The modern day England. Compared to that it certainly was... Different...

It was rougher, that was for sure. With his England there was more of a softer feel about them and America was _always_ the one dominating the kiss.

Yet just then, the dominant one had clearly been Arthur. It was hard to say whether Alfred had enjoyed it or not when he was so used to the soft tender kisses that his England had to offer.

"Now where were we?" Arthur hummed. "Let's pick up where we left off."

Arthur leaned in hoping for another forceful kiss- interrupting Alfred's opportunity to contemplate all of this. So Alfred (being more prepared this time) firmly pushed him back with his single gloved hand.

"I don't swing that way." Alfred told him, obviously Alfred knew he was lying but at least it would get the captain off him long enough for Alfred to really think about what had happened. Or so he hoped

"Liar." Arthur snapped. "If you're straight, then I'm not captain."

"Really? Who are you then?" Alfred asked, faking cute innocence.

"Funny."Arthur muttered sarcastically before he leaned in again for a second attempt at a kiss. However, Alfred pushed him back again as he had done before with the same gloved hand.

"Uhh... Lovely weather we're having isn't it?" Alfred laughed nervously. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it was possibly the worst thing to say in an awkward situation.

"I don't care." Arthur stated simply before going back in for his third attempt.

And he very nearly did it. In fact his lips were just a few short centimetres away from Alfred's. That is, until Alfred finally cracked and suddenly said the first thing that popped into his head as he pushed Arthur away with both hands this time, using only a little of his great hero strength as Arthur fell to the floor.

"I have someone else!" Alfred yelled.

Arthur blinked a few times as he sat there on the floor. Alfred stared down at him- looking deep into Arthur's shocked face. In those emerald green eyes, he saw innocence, confusion and... Maybe even hurt?

He hadn't really meant to say it. It was just the first thing that came to mind. And he _did _have someone else. Even if he was kissing someone that was just a past version of his current boyfriend it still felt like cheating.

"I... I see." Arthur muttered, getting up and brushing himself off. He began to walk away and Alfred lifted his hand up as his mouth fell open- preparing to speak. He felt like he had to say something, but what was there really left to say?

"Guess, I'll just have to try harder won't I?" Arthur smirked, glancing back over his shoulder as he retreated back into his room. "This'll be even more interesting than I thought..."

Alfred just stared. What had he gotten himself into? What was Arthur plotting? But most importantly, why was he even here? How could all of this have anything to do with the modern day England?

* * *

Over the next few days, Arthur's advances became more obvious and less subtle. Okay so they weren't really that subtle to begin with, but they were definitely getting progressively worse.

Like, for example, the next day. That wasn't too bad, but then again it wasn't overly great either. There he was, cleaning as usual when Alfred got this weird feeling. A feeling as if he was being watched. So he turned his head and sure enough, there was Arthur- watching while he worked.

That wasn't too worrying since Alfred _was_ the new boy and Arthur _was_ the captain. But what made it bad was the fact that Arthur wasn't really watching _him_. Although Alfred hated to admit it, it was absolutely certain that Arthur was indeed staring at his butt.

So Alfred turned the other way, and out of the corner of his eye- Alfred could have sworn that Arthur was pouting. He decided to ignore this however and carried on mopping like he was unaware of what had just happened.

Then Arthur got up from his seat on the nearby barrel and he walked away, strolling over in Alfred's general direction as he went back to his room.

But just when Alfred thought he was safe, he felt something unexpected as Arthur walked by: Arthur had slapped his butt. Alfred stared at him, his mouth wide open- mortified by what had just happened. Arthur simply turned and winked.

"Ye have a nice arse." He smirked before leaving the deck.

Now England would have never done anything like that in his time, but when Arthur winked at him and said that... Well, Alfred didn't exactly hate it. In fact, he sort of wished that his England would take charge like that more often. Though only a little.

But what was he thinking? He wouldn't allow himself to be swayed by another man- even if it was just a younger version of the man he was already with. He would not let his loyalty wander so easily. He had made his mind up and he was sticking to it.

* * *

But if that little advance wasn't enough, there was the day after that. Just as before, Alfred was cleaning the deck once again. Then suddenly without warning, Arthur walked up from behind and grabbed him by the waist- pulling him in close.

"Captain! Let go of me!" Alfred squeaked.

Alfred felt rather uncomfortable. As the world's strongest nation- he was not supposed to squeak. However, he was in an odd situation that he had never had to deal with before so there was no helping it really.

"Yer really cute... Y'know that?" Arthur chuckled.

"Don't call me cute." Alfred pouted.

"Hot, sexy, handsome- yer a lot of things Alfred." Arthur whispered.

"W-well..." Alfred stuttered. Then he coughed and brought his elbow up to jab Arthur in the stomach- causing the captain to recoil with pain. It was rough, but that was the way it had to be dealt with. "Thank you for the compliment, but I'd better get back to my work."

"Heheh..." Arthur chuckled as he straightened himself up, barely injured by the harsh blow. "Yer welcome."

"Mm." Alfred hummed, coughing a little as he focused deeply on the soapy wet mop sliding across the shiny wooden floor.

"Does yer lil' boyfriend ever say stuff like that?" Arthur asked curiously.

"Uh..." Alfred began, thinking about it. "Well... It's usually me sayin' stuff like that to him really."

"So how does it feel to be the one receivin'?" Arthur smirked.

Alfred coughed, trying to cover the slight amusement and extreme embarrassment from the comment Arthur had just made. Whether Arthur had meant it to be an innuendo or not, Alfred still felt embarrassed by it and he decided to quickly leave to go and mop somewhere else.

"Hmph." Arthur huffed- not smirking anymore. It seemed none of his tactics was going to work on the mysterious recruit and admittedly, Arthur was starting to get a little annoyed.

So he returned to the comfort of his room, starting all of his scheming from scratch.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed that! As you can see, Arthur's beginning to get a little jealous. Ah, if only he knew that he was getting jealous of himself.**

**I'd really like to remind you guys that reviews are appreciated! I noticed last time that I got a lot of story favourites and alerts, but not many reviews! I was really disappointed... So I hope I get more this time! ^^ Fingers crossed!**

**Stay tuned next time for more jealousy, the final chapter and... Other countries? I bet you guys can't wait! Who do you think will be appearing next time? Leave your answer in a review!**

**Sayounara minna-san!**

**~Neko**


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome to the final chapter! I hope you enjoy and review. But I also hope you enjoy the little twist and the other countries!**

* * *

It was the morning of Alfred's fourth day. Like the previous days, he was mopping the deck once more. No surprises there. Just how dirty could a whole ship get in a day anyway?

But enough about that, like the previous days that Alfred had spent aboard the ship, the day did not go by without a not-so subtle romantic advance from the pirate captain himself. Alfred had been expecting it from the moment he had woken up. In fact, as the day had gone on, perhaps he had almost been looking forward to it?

Today's tactic was different to the others. No sexual innuendos, no flirty pick-up lines and no bodily contact. Today Arthur started by grabbing Alfred by his collar roughly and dragging him back into his room- which was where Arthur usually retreated back to after an attempt at seducing Alfred had failed.

"C-captain?" Alfred managed to choke out. The strangled choking noise that escaped Alfred's mouth was an obvious indication that the man was struggling to breathe. Being a nation it didn't affect him so he wasn't too worried, but Arthur was never usually this rough. What had changed? Was this even a romantic advance at all?

But Alfred's questions were quickly answered as they entered the room. The moment Alfred had stepped in, Arthur spun round and slammed the door shut harshly- alarming Alfred slightly. Arthur stood proudly for a few moments, staring at the prey he had dragged back into his lair. Then when he was fully satisfied with his view, he slammed his one hand against the wall behind Alfred and he used the other to yank Alfred's chin into a rough yet passionate kiss.

Although this seemed a weird thing to admit, Alfred was still trying to decide if he liked this or not. Sure Arthur was being rough, but the amount of passion that Arthur had displayed in the last few days, the many inappropriate ways that Arthur had shown he had cared- it actually appealed to Alfred in an odd sort of way. It was certainly more affection than England had ever expressed- even with England's roundabout way of showing his feelings.

However, the one thing that Alfred didn't appreciate was Arthur's roughness. Alfred was the personification of America after all and as a result- he hated to be dominated in this way. The grabbing, the dragging, the pushing, the pulling- Alfred really couldn't stand it. Okay so Alfred wasn't a big baby that felt pain over every little thing and it didn't really hurt him that much, but he still hated the idea of the harsh manner that Arthur was showing.

So he pushed him away firmly with his two gloved hands. From the angry scowl painted all over Alfred's face, one could quite clearly see that he was not happy. Then again, neither was Arthur.

"What's with you?" Arthur snapped, slapping Alfred's outstretched arms away.

"I told you. I have someone else." Alfred stated firmly.

"Well he ain't here." Arthur growled. "And ye happen to be part of _my _crew."

"I'm not your slave." Alfred scowled. "I won't bow to you- I won't just lie down and accept this. I'm a living thing. Not your toy."

"Captain's orders." Arthur muttered. "My rules are the law- an' as such they need to be followed."

"Do you treat your other men like this?" Alfred questioned angrily. "Do you sexually harass them? Do you force them into dark rooms just to do as you please?"

"Of course not ye git- none of me other men drive me crazy like you do."

"Then control yourself. Because I won't stand for this. I won't take this treatment just because some guy calls himself captain."

"Some guy?" Arthur raised his eyebrows. "What happened to 'scourge of the seven seas'? What happened to Alfred's idol- 'Captain Kirkland'?"

Alfred's scowl vanished- replaced by a look of dumbfounded shock. He had completely forgotten about this little lie, yet Arthur seemed to remember it as clear as day.

"Or was that just some trick?" Arthur continued. "Just some made up sob story to get yerself in? Well I fell for it. Go ahead an' laugh. I fell for it, just like I fell for you."

A tense moment of silence. Arthur's gaze had dropped downwards and to the side- no longer able to bear the sight of the handsome young man that had successfully captured and broken his heart. He forced his legs to trudge over to the desk, sitting down on the wooden surface for support as he let his head and arms hang low to reflect his sadness.

Alfred took a few steps forward, reaching out his hand to place it comfortingly on the captain's shoulder but then allowing it to decline as he decided against it. His mouth opened to utter words of comfort, yet nothing came to mind or mouth- in fact, there was nothing more that he could say.

"Tell me." Arthur whispered, just barely audible to Alfred. "What's _he_ like?"

Instantly, Alfred knew that Arthur was referring to his 'other person', the boyfriend that Arthur was so jealous of- the man that was really him.

"Does he love you like I do? Does he think about you every waking moment- like I have and still do? Does he long to be by your side for all eternity- just like I wish I could?" Arthur continued, his voice beginning to crack with the threat of tears.

Then he looked up, staring into Alfred's ocean blue eyes with his hurt emerald green ones.

"Tell me... What is he like?" Arthur repeated.

Before Alfred could even begin to think about describing England, a thunderous bang was heard and the ship shuddered violently. Both men sprung up and into action, though Arthur took a moment to quickly wipe his face free of the sentimental tears that had gathered in the corners of his vibrant green eyes.

* * *

**Up on deck**

* * *

As they re-entered back up onto the deck, the two were greeted with the sight of flickering flames, blazing high into the air. A fire had started aboard the ship, but how?

The pair found their attention being dragged out to sea where an answer was lying in wait, floating above the water. A second pirate ship was there- one with familiar faces that made Alfred flinch back and gasp.

"France? And Spain?" Alfred whispered.

Alfred gasped and bit his lip- worried that Arthur might have heard his little remark of shock and would start questioning him. Thankfully, Arthur seemed to be distracted with the familiar newcomers as well, almost growling with pure anger just from seeing their faces.

"You two..." Arthur muttered. "What're ye doin' here?"

"_Angleterre_!" France called out. "We are here to bring you home! Please stop all of this pirate nonsense!"

"Never!" Arthur hollered back. "Now why don't ye bugger off back to ye own froggy country? An' take that good for nothin' cradle-snatcher with you!"

Spain didn't seem to react much so Alfred could only assume that Spain hadn't quite realised that the last comment was a jab at him. Pushing this aside, Alfred looked back at Arthur- who was clearly annoyed by all of this.

"Uhh hey captain?" Alfred asked, feigning confusion. "Who are those guys?"

"Countries like me: France and Spain." Arthur muttered, not taking his eyes off the two to look at Alfred.

"And what do they want?" Alfred tilted his head questioningly.

"Supposedly, they want me to go home." Arthur sighed. "Or at least that's what they've claimed to be after these past few months."

"Past few months?" Alfred frowned. "You mean they've done this more than once?"

"Mm-hm. But this time it seems that they've brought... Extra methods of persuasion..." Arthur explained. As he said this, he looked first to the roaring fire near them- then he turned his attention to the large impressive cannon aboard France and Spain's ship.

"Well..." Alfred began, taking a deep breath as he prepared to 'follow his instincts'- just like Tinkerbell and Flying Mint Bunny had told him to. "Maybe you should go with them. Being on land can be fun too. You do have responsibilities on land but it's not like you'll be stuck there forever. You can always come back to adventuring once in a while."

"An' leave all this behind?" Arthur retorted, finally turning to face Alfred. "Why on Earth would I do that?"

"Because..." Alfred took another deep breath, thinking about the modern day England as moments with him seemed to flash through his mind. "It's your duty to be there for your country. To be there when inventions are unveiled, when discoveries are made, when alliances are formed..."

Arthur just stared as Alfred explained all of this, but Alfred simply went on- unfazed by his nonplussed expression.

"And who knows..." Alfred added a slight smile. "You might even find _The One_."

Obviously Alfred was trying to appeal to Arthur through his painful heartbreak. If the prospect of a new love could get him off the ship and into a calm gentleman lifestyle then it was definitely worth a try. And Arthur would meet someone eventually. After all, they were going out in the present day. But even after this, Arthur simply responded with the same blank stare as he responded.

"But... I thought you were the one." Arthur whispered.

Staring into that hurt face made Alfred feel awful as he knew that he had caused that pain- he was the one that had broken Arthur's heart. In that heart-wrenching moment, Alfred had almost forgotten about the other nations that had just made their appearance.

"Very well _Angleterre_." France yelled, interrupting their moment. "If you refuse to come quietly, we shall have to force you out!"

And with that, the signal was given and another cannon shot was fired. This time it hit lower down, allowing Alfred and Arthur to truly realise for the first time that the ship was actually sinking.

The pirates began to flee until Arthur and Alfred were the only two left. A lot of them fled on emergency boats, and some even went to the other ship. Yet Arthur stayed where he was- not moving a muscle.

"Dude, come on we gotta go." Alfred panicked when he realised that Arthur wasn't leaving. "You'll drown! So come on!"

"Why should I?" Arthur snapped. "I'm the captain and I will go down with this-"

"ARTHUR LOOK OUT!" Alfred screamed.

The mast was falling- yet Arthur had failed to see this. Alfred, being quick, agile and amazingly strong, had quickly sprung up to push Arthur out of the way- causing the Brit to stumble back into the ship's railing. However, this had caused Alfred to fall and become trapped under the fallen mast in the process.

"Alfred!" Arthur gasped, stepping forward to aid his fallen crew member.

"Go..." Alfred coughed, splatters of blood emerging as he coughed with his hoarse voice. "Don't worry about me. Go and live your life. Live as an invincible British gentleman!"

"A... Gentleman?" Arthur whispered to himself.

"Go... Please..." Alfred pleaded.

"You heard him." France muttered, grabbing Arthur by the arm- encouraging him to climb aboard.

"Alfred..." Arthur whispered, his eyes sparkling with tears.

But that determined stare that Alfred gave to Arthur told him that he had to go, so with one last look at the fallen pirate soldier, he climbed aboard France's ship and they sailed away.

And just before Alfred sunk below sea level, he saw Arthur clutching his chest and whispering determined words underneath his breath.

"I will..."He whispered, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

Alfred smiled at the pirate captain for one last time as he was finally submerged in the briny deep.

RULER

He blinked a few times and then took a look around. Was he going to die here? Was this the end of Alfred F. Jones? If he dared to go back up, Arthur would see him and his supposed death would have been for nothing. But if Alfred stayed there was no telling what could happen to him.

He had followed his instincts, but now he was beginning to wonder if he really should have. Did Arthur really have to leave? Maybe he was meant to be a pirate for longer- maybe he had just changed the future- possibly for worse!

Alfred couldn't bear the thought of that. Things would no doubt be crazy. Maybe the Axis Powers won World War 2, maybe Russia was the world's superpower, maybe Italy hated pasta! No, that was a horrible thought and Alfred dreaded to think of it, along with the others. But... If he really had just done the wrong thing... Then it could be a possibility.

But then, almost out of nowhere, Flying Mint Bunny and Tinkerbell came floating down- a bubble surrounding both of their heads which Alfred assumed to be for the purpose of letting them breathe freely.

"You did it Alfred!" Flying Mint Bunny's voice echoed in Alfred's waterlogged ears.

Tinkerbell waved her little wand, just as she had done when transporting Alfred to the past and he found himself with a bubble around his head too. Suddenly he could breathe again and he breathed a sigh of relief as he broke out from underneath the mast.

"That was amazing!" Tinkerbell applauded. "Everything went exactly to plan!"

"So wait... How did this help England?" Alfred frowned.

"Well it stopped him from continuing as a pirate." Tinkerbell explained. "But not only that, it also led to... Well..."

"Do you want to see what happens next?" Flying Mint Bunny asked.

Alfred nodded. This was all the confirmation Tinkerbell needed to wave her wand once more, coating them all in a shower of shimmering fairy dust.

* * *

A new scene appeared before them and suddenly a flock of questions rushed into Alfred's brain. Where were they? What time was it? Not as in hours and minutes, but months and centuries. What was the year? The location? The situation?

And most importantly, what did it have to do with Arthur?

After Alfred had allowed these questions to whizz about his head for a little while, he finally took a quick look at the surrounding area that they had appeared in. It was a field. A lush, vibrant green field- almost like something out of a children's picture book, it was that beautiful.

He noticed that Flying Mint Bunny and Tinkerbell were still with him and that they had ducked into the long blades of gently swaying grass. Alfred decided to do so too- which quickly proved to be a good idea as he noticed a young man approaching.

His eyes were a messy golden blond and his eyes were a pretty jade green- like the surrounding field. The clothes he wore certainly looked very proper, at least that was the best way that Alfred could describe his attire.

Alfred didn't need to get a closer look to know that it was England.

He seemed to be bending down to something, so Alfred pushed a stray blade of grass out of the way to see a small child standing there. The child was dressed all in white, had sandy blond hair, a red ribbon to decorate his clothing and a familiar proud hair flick atop his mop of hair.

Alfred almost gasped, yet Tinkerbell pressed her tiny fingers up to his lips to stop him. Thankfully he was able to control himself- but it was certainly a rather pleasant shock to see his younger self.

"Hello America." A young England smiled, taking the little America into his arms and lifting him up. "How are you today?"

"A lot better now you're here!" America cheered happily.

"It's really great I can see you a lot more now." England whispered, closing his eyes happily. "And it's great that I beat Francis finally."

"Fwancis?" The little America blinked a few times in confusion.

"Oh that's France's human name." England chuckled. "I forgot, you don't know about human names do you?"

The tiny nation shook his head and England stroked his head soothingly, explaining the topic as he did so.

"Well I'm Arthur." England went on. "Arthur Kirkland. And France is Francis Bonnefoy. Not that creative of a name if you ask me."

"What's my name Engwand?" America tilted his head.

"Oh you don't have one yet." England explained. "However, I could name you if you like."

"Yay! Name, name!" America cheered in his happy singsong voice.

The young England looked skywards and thought for a few moments. He was clearly contemplating a suitable name. Little America was gazing at him intently- patiently anticipating England's response. Yet somewhere deep down, the older America already knew what England was going to say.

Finally England looked down at his little brother with a fond smile.

"Alfred." He whispered. "Alfred F. Jones."

Tiny little America looked positively thrilled with his new name- not yet knowing the sentimental value of it. But one day he would find out, just as his older counterpart had and he would look back at this scene with an air of nostalgic joy about him- just as Alfred was doing now.

Tinkerbell waved her wand one final time as England began to sing his sweet lullaby to his new little brother.

* * *

America didn't need to look about this time to know they were home. He just knew. Flying Mint Bunny floated down just enough to carefully slip America's glasses back onto his face.

"Texas is back!" America beamed.

"Uh-huh." Tinkerbell nodded. "Now, we've arrived..."

"At the exact time we left right?" America grinned knowingly. After all, America had watched his fair share of TV shows and films involving time travel and they did seem to follow the same common theme.

"That's right!" Flying Mint Bunny laughed. "We'll be going now..."

"Wait!" America interrupted. "Will I... Will I ever see you guys again?"

"Well..." They began, thinking about this for a moment before they turned around and smiled. "Keep believing and _always_ follow your instincts."

"Right. Will do." America smiled as he watched them slowly vanish. After they had fully disappeared, America ran down the stairs- two at a time and eager to see _his _England for once.

* * *

England gulped down the last drop of his glass of water, slammed it onto the table and slowly stroked his forehead- brushing back strands of his messy golden hair slightly.

"It was today." He whispered. "It was today I left him. I've kept my promise to him but still..."

Then England cupped his hands together and covered his face- trying to stop the sad tears from flowing out.

"Why didn't I save him?"

Suddenly, England felt a set of hands grabbing him and pulling him in close by the waist. He flinched and dropped his hands in surprise, yet he already knew who it was.

"Hey England..." America purred sensually into his boyfriend's ear, so close that England could feel his hot breath panting gently against his skin.

"Oh, h-hello America." England responded- slightly startled. "You scared me."

"Aww did I? Sorry about that." America apologised. "You'll have to forgive me, I've just been on a little adventure."

"Call it what you will but strangely enough, I wouldn't class going down the stairs as an adventure." England sighed.

"I went back in time." America grinned.

"You what!" England exclaimed, jumping in surprise but still not separating himself from America's tight grip. "Please don't say you messed with the past. I don't want to find out that France is married to Germany or something."

At this point, America let go and started laughing- quite obviously amused by this statement.

"France? Married to Germany?" America laughed. "That's a hilarious thought!"

America continued to laugh in amusement, but England just stood there not as cheery and spirited as America.

"...You were the vicar weren't you?" England muttered.

"No but... I just wanna say..." America cleared his throat, adding with a smirk as he took off his glasses: "You were pretty darn sexy as a pirate..."

England's eyes shot wide open- quickly changing his not amused expression to pure shock. America didn't need to ask to know that England had realised: the look on his face said it all.

"A... Al...Fred?" England whispered.

The cheeky grin was all the confirmation that England needed.

"You're alive!" England gasped.

"I'm surprised too." America responded, placing Texas back on his face.

"So wait..." England frowned. "I'm the other guy?"

"Yep."

"Oh God, I've been jealous of myself..." England muttered, covering his face with his cupped hands once more.

"Well I thought it was cute." America smiled.

"C-cute?" England stuttered, lowering his hands again.

"Hot, sexy, handsome- you're a lot of things England." America smirked teasingly.

"L-look. That was ages ago." England frowned, folding his arms assertively. "True I do feel the same way about you, but I'm not a young punk delinquent anymore. Got it?"

"Got it." America nodded.

"Because... I'm an invincible British gentleman!" England smiled. "That's the way I was told to live by the one I love."

"And do you regret it?" America asked curiously.

"No... I don't. Because then I met you and... I gradually fell in love again."

"Even though I act like an idiot most of the time?"

"I don't care. You're my idiot."

"And you're my invincible British gentleman."

The two were in agreement so they both nodded and smiled- staring into each other's eyes for a few moments. The guilt from England's heart had been lifted and America could now rest easy knowing that. Those few moments were spent in silence as the two came to the end of their tale- although a still unsatisfied America was the first to break this silence.

"So uh... I wouldn't mind you acting like a pirate more often. Taking initiative and stuff." America grinned, stating his opinion forwardly and making England's smile drop. Then he leaned in closer and whispered: "Even more so if it's in bed."

"W-what?" England stuttered in confusion.

"Can't say I didn't enjoy it." America continued. "And I have to admit, it did turn me on a little."

"It... Turned you on?" England frowned.

"Yep." America nodded. "So whaddya say... Captain?"

"W-well... I'll think about it... However, I did tell you that I'm not a delinquent anymore." England muttered, leaving America a little disappointed. "But anyway, now that that's cleared up, I suppose I should be getting some sleep. So off to bed."

America nodded and started to walk upstairs but England was just that little bit faster and was already storming ahead before America could even take a step. He was probably embarrassed over America's little request. That made America feel a little better at least after England had rejected his request. Since he was being cute, it would have to make do for the fact that America probably wouldn't get his pirate England at all.

But then something odd happened. As England left the room, America felt something: England had slapped his ass on the way out- not looking back or anything.

America smiled. This was going to be interesting...

**THE END (=w=)7**

* * *

**And that's the end of it! I hope you guys liked that story. I certainly enjoyed RP-ing and then writing this up!**

**A huge thank you to Naruko Uzu for being my RP partner for this and playing the role of America so well. Another big thank you to all those that reviewed and an extra big thank you to those of you that are going to review! If you liked this then feel free to check out my other stories. The choice is yours. I mainly write USUK fics similar to this one though I've recently written a sad PruCan and a multi-pairing threeshot. It's up to you whether you check them out or not.**

**Sayounara minna-san!**

**~Neko**


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